Design Lessons from 5 Beautiful Living Rooms

The living room is the heart of your home, and you want it to look good. Today we'll be taking a peek at 5 stylish living rooms, in all different styles, and then examining what it is that makes each one of them work.

Above: This living space (from Domino) is such a wonderful study in contrasts. I think most people, when doing the two sofas right across from each other thing, would match the two, but here the two players are opposites, one rustic and woodsy and the other light and demure. The contrast continues with the pairing of the rug and the clear lucite coffee table. I think it all works because everything is nicely proportioned (and because the play between pure white and rustic charm is reflected in the ceiling, too).

There's not a lot of art in this room; the bookcase really sets the tone for the space instead. I like how there's so many pillows that that kind of becomes a whole diferent thing. The Prouve sconce gives the room a bold focal point and helps to tie everything together. Image from Bolig.

Gallery walls can be hard to pull off, but I think this room (from Little Green Notebook) does an admirable job. Notice how there is almost no other furniture on the gallery wall wall. I think one of the tricks to having a gallery wall not overwhelm a room is to make it the primary consideration and keep everything else in the room a bit more subtle.

There's a nice contrast here between the softness of the pink curtains and the bold graphics of the black and white rug — but overall this is a pretty restrained use of color. I like that the space has just enough 'stuff' in it — minimal art, minimal accessories so the space still feels nice and light. Spotted on House & Garden.

I'm really in love with the simplicity of this space (from London Interieur). The minimal furnishings, and the way they're spaced throughout the room, give everything a bit of an airy feel. And the Moroccan Azilal rug and the colorful prints bring in just the right amount of color without being overwhelming.

Re-edited from a post originally published 6.5.15-NT

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